A former Baptist pastor has finally made peace with being gay — and found a husband — after spending decades hating himself and hiding his sexuality from his family and congregation.

Joel Barrett, 52, grew up in a very religious Baptist home where he was taught that God hated homosexuals — so for most of his life, he hid his attracted to men and even underwent conversion therapy in a last-ditch attempt to be ‘godly’.

He even married a woman, had children, and went into ex-gay therapy before ultimately learning to love himself and finding love with his husband-to-be.

The journey: Joel Barrett, 52, grew up in a religious home and was taught that God hated homosexuals, but as an adult he finally found peace with himself as a gay man